Cyclone Men’s Wrestling Adds Six to Roster

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State men's wrestling made six additions to its roster, head coach Brent Metcalf announced Wednesday. ISU added four from the transfer portal and two late high school prospects.

Brayden Thompson (Oklahoma State; 197), Ayden Smith (Rutgers; 125), Rin Sakamoto (Oklahoma State; 125/133) and Dru Ayala (Iowa; 125) make up ISU's first transfer class of the Metcalf era. Thunder Lewis, a four-time state placer from California, and Liam Kelly, a top-100 prospect from Illinois, are two late adds to ISU's Class of 2026 high school recruiting class.

"I'm excited to welcome Brayden, Ayden, Rin, Dru, Thunder and Liam to Cyclone Nation," Metcalf said. "I think our staff was able to add solid depth and fill some holes on our roster with this transfer class and the late addition of two high-upside high schoolers only bolsters that. They're all guys who we can continue to develop, and I know they're going to put in their best effort to become better wrestlers on and off the mat. We're excited to get to work!"

More on the incoming Cyclones can be found below.

Brayden Thompson
Weight: 197
Year: Junior
Hometown: Frankfort, Ill.
Previous School: Oklahoma State
High School: Lockport Township
Thompson, a 2024 NCAA Qualifier and the No. 3 overall prospect in FloWrestling's recruiting class of 2023, is a high-impact addition to the Cyclone upper weights with at least two years of eligibility remaining.

Thompson, who comes to Ames after three years in Stillwater, qualified for the NCAA Championships as a 174-pounder in his true freshman season (2023-24). He went 12-11 that season with eight ranked wins and placed third at the Big 12 Championship. Thompson recorded notable wins over current Cyclone No. 19 MJ Gaitan, No. 5 Peyton Mocco (Missouri), No. 13 Matthew Olguin (Oregon State) and No. 17 Tate Picklo (Oklahoma).

He did not compete during the 2025-26 season and took a redshirt season in 2024-25, going 9-0 with first place finishes at the Bob Smith Open and the Reno Tournament of Champions.

Out of high school, Thompson was the nation's No. 1 prospect at 182 pounds in the 2023 recruiting class by FloWrestling. He also won titles at the prestigious Powerade and Ironman tournaments.

Officially official ✍️

Welcome to Cyclone Nation, Brayden!

🌪️🚨🌪️ pic.twitter.com/pKVjCrj1ro
— Iowa State Men's Wrestling (@CycloneWR) May 27, 2026

Ayden Smith
Weight: 125
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Allentown, Pa.
Previous School: Rutgers
High School: Notre Dame-Green Pond
Smith, a 2026 NCAA Qualifier as a redshirt-freshman, brings three years of eligibility with him to bolster the future of the Cyclone light weights. He owns a 26-17 career record, including a 16-13 mark last season.

Smith, an athletic 125-pounder, earned notable wins in 2025-26 over Minnesota's No. 10 Jore Volk and Michigan's No. 19 Diego Sotelo.

He posted a 10-4 record in his true freshman season (2024-25) and made a pair of dual appearances for the Scarlet Knights before redshirting.

Smith is a two-time PIAA state champion and four-time state place winner at Notre Dame-Green Pond. As a prep, Smith was the No. 2 125-pound signee in the country and the No. 34 overall recruit nationally by MatScouts. He was a Beast of the East champion and runner-up at the 2023 Ironman following a bronze medal finish in 2022.

Officially a Cyclone ✍️

Welcome to Cyclone Nation, Ayden!

🌪️🚨🌪️ pic.twitter.com/fWQNj8g1s2
— Iowa State Men's Wrestling (@CycloneWR) May 26, 2026

Rin Sakamoto
Weight: 125/133
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Tokyo, Japan
Previous School: Oklahoma State
High School: Jiyugaoka Gakuen
Sakamoto joins the Cyclones as another exciting prospect with a freestyle wrestling background with three years of eligibility remaining. A transfer from Oklahoma State, he appeared in one dual meet for the Cowboys in 2024-25 against Iowa, falling to the eventual NCAA runner-up, Drake Ayala (Iowa).

Well credentialed on the international freestyle scene, Sakamoto was Japan's 2025 Senior World Team representative at 57 KG. He finished eighth at the World Championships and placed fifth at the 2025 Senior Asian Championships.

Sakamoto won gold at the 2024 Emperor's Cup, Japan's senior level national championship, and at the 2025 Meiji Cup. He was a member of Japan's 2023 U20 World Team and reached the quarterfinals at the U20 World Championships.

Rin Sakamoto is a Cyclone ✍️

Welcome to Iowa State 🌪️

🌪️🚨🌪️ pic.twitter.com/UPNoWUat7V
— Iowa State Men's Wrestling (@CycloneWR) June 1, 2026

Dru Ayala
Weight: 125
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Fort Dodge, Iowa
Previous School: Iowa
High School: Fort Dodge
Dru Ayala, younger brother of newly hired assistant coach Drake Ayala, is another valuable lightweight addition with multiple years of eligibility remaining. He joins the Cyclones after spending two years at Iowa where he redshirted the 2024-25 season and did not compete in the 2025-26 season.

In his redshirt season, Ayala wrestled to an 11-4 record with eight bonus-point victories (one pin, four tech falls, three major decisions). He placed second at the Grand View Open in the freshman/sophomore division and second at the Luther Open in the silver bracket.

As a prep at Fort Dodge High School, Ayala compiled a 153-16 record and reached the state semifinals in all four seasons. He is one of seven wrestlers in the school's history to win 150 matches in his high school career.

Officially official ✍️

Welcome to Cyclone Nation, Dru!

🌪️🚨🌪️ pic.twitter.com/A6xkEIzDa1
— Iowa State Men's Wrestling (@CycloneWR) June 10, 2026

HIGH SCHOOL ADDITIONS

Liam Kelly
Weight: 165
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Mokena, Ill.
High School: Mount Carmel [Ill.]
Rated as the No. 64 overall recruit in the class of 2026 and the No. 4 165-pounder by MatScouts … two-time Illinois Class 3A state champion … posted a 34-2 season record en route to his 2026 165-pound state title … went 34-5 as a junior, winning his first state title at 157 pounds … tallied a 29-13 record as a sophomore competing at 150 pounds … registered a 24-14 record as a prep freshman … originally committed to Illinois before flipping to the Cyclones.

A top-100 prospect out of Illinois ✍️

Welcome to Cyclone Nation, Liam!

🌪️🚨🌪️ pic.twitter.com/itnArephpR
— Iowa State Men's Wrestling (@CycloneWR) June 3, 2026

Thunder Lewis
Weight: 125/133
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Smith River, Calif.
High School: Del Norte
Rated as a top-250 recruit nationally by MatScouts … four-time California state medalist … placed third in his senior season after he placed fourth as a freshman, fifth as a sophomore and eighth as a junior … posted a 34-2 record in his senior season.

Dipping back into Cali for this one ✍️🌴

Welcome to Cyclone Nation, Thunder!

🌪️🚨🌪️ pic.twitter.com/Wa3tl5GLzi
— Iowa State Men's Wrestling (@CycloneWR) June 3, 2026